Open thread: FBI press conference on Boston bombings; Update: Photos and video added; Update: Do cops have the names? Update: New pic discovered?

posted at 4:41 pm on April 18, 2013 by Allahpundit

5 p.m. ET, all across the dial. The feds announced this morning that they’re planning to release images of the two suspects from the surveillance video sometime today. Presumably that means at the presser itself or shortly before or after; once they’re online, they’ll be posted below. A key detail via the Globe: “The official said that the two suspects were seen separately on videotape — one at each of the two bombing sites, which are located about a block apart.” That’s one thing that bothered me about the people being scrutinized in the Reddit photos. In at least two cases, the two “suspects” were standing right next to each other, conversing. If you and a partner were looking to bomb something and not get caught, rule one would/should be to avoid each other at the site itself so as not to make things easier for the cops later, right?

Update: Steve Emerson told Sean Hannity last night that ICE is planning to deport the Saudi national whom cops initially investigated as a person of interest in the bombing, then cleared. Per the Blaze, Emerson said it was on “national security grounds.” Other sources confirmed Emerson’s claim for the Blaze and basically allege that something suspicious is going on, not just with the Saudi but with his associates. But an ICE official told BuzzFeed this afternoon that it’s not true: The Saudi in the hospital isn’t being deported, a different Saudi national is. And that guy supposedly has nothing to do with the bombing. The Blaze later updated to note that its sources now say ICE has reconsidered and might not deport the Saudi in the hospital. How much of this is true and whether it has anything to do with the bombing is unclear at the moment, but there you go.

Update: Yep, images on the way.

#FBI will be releasing video and still images relating to #BostonBombing at press conference set for 5pm ET

Update: Fox Boston has one of the photos that the FBI’s planning to release at 5. All I can make out is the backwards white cap and the fact that the guy appears to be standing near a mailbox, possibly the same one that was seen in those photos released yesterday of a mysterious bag. If you’ve seen that guy in any of the hundreds of marathon photos floating around online, e-mail us.

Update: The FBI’s posted multiple photos of the two suspects at its website. To my surprise, the two were together — but maybe not obviously “together” judging from the surveillance footage. The guy in the white cap, at least, looks very young, possibly even a teenager. I don’t remember them from any of the online photos I looked at yesterday but the black cap worn by the second suspect does look vaguely familiar.

Neither one drops a bag so there must be other video they’re not releasing yet.

Update: Here’s one that caught my eye a few days ago. This isn’t Black Cap, isn’t it? The pants, coat, and bag all look sort of right, but the hat seems lighter in this pic than in the vid. And there’s no white shirt here.

Update: Silly mistake on my part: Ed points out via e-mail that this pic was taken after the blast, per the broken window on the right. Unless Black Cap was hanging out close by, which would be nutty, that’s not him.

Update: Someone in Reddit’s thread on this notes, apparently correctly, that Black Cap is wearing a Bridgestone golf cap.

Update: What’s that symbol on the side of White Cap’s hat? It looks like a “T” but with the right side of the letter lighter than the left side.

Update: More from the Reddit thread: White Cap might be wearing a Polo hat.

CBS News correspondent John Miller explained why these two people are believed by the FBI to be possible suspects: “They have other video, including the one Orr referenced, where they believe they actually have on tape one of the suspects in the white baseball cap putting the bomb down in front of the Starbucks at the second location. But reason they selected the pictures we’re seeing here is they wanted to find the pictures that didn’t have the most sinister activity but the pictures that gave people the best chance of recognizing them.”

Update: Big news, if true:

BREAKING: Sources tell CBS News investigators have possible names of the men seen in the video #wbz#bostonmarathon

Update: Some Reddit users think this pic is photoshopped but it looks legit to me. You’ve got White Cap on the far left, leaving the scene of the bombing — and there, behind him next to the lady in the pink coat, appears to be Black Cap. First fair look we’ve gotten at his face.

Update: Actually, is that Black Cap in the last pic? It’s definitely White Cap — and I don’t see his backpack, post-blast — but the white part on Black Cap’s hat might not match up to the hat in the FBI photos.

Why were these guys in close proximity after the bombings? Didn’t they plant them a block or so apart?

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Also, what they have is that baseball cap guy put something down in the vicinity of where bomb 2 went off and the two of them were apparently moving around together. I’m not ready to assume these guys did it, and I can’t even see what they look like. Still alot to be learned on this.

You’re operating under the delusion that conservatism has no racial politics? Stunning. Also, y’all are hilarious. You sound like 19th century phrenologists trying to prove that the light skinned people are somehow “not white.” Why does it matter so much if you don’t “see race?”

You’re operating under the delusion that conservatism has no racial politics? Stunning. Also, y’all are hilarious. You sound like 19th century phrenologists trying to prove that the light skinned people are somehow “not white.” Why does it matter so much if you don’t “see race?”

libfreeordie on April 18, 2013 at 5:35 PM

Because, just as with Tucson, you moonbats are so eager for it to be some redneck from Jesusland.

Just a question – how come the N. Korea topic went off line, totally, as soon as Boston happened.

Schadenfreude on April 18, 2013 at 5:19 PM

Because even before the Boston Marathon it was already apparent that NK was becoming dull. They rescinded the cease fire but didn’t actually shoot anything. The 10th April came and went and nobody got hurt. Their missiles didn’t get launched. Nothing happened, so nothing left worth discussing.

You’re operating under the delusion that conservatism has no racial politics? Stunning. Also, y’all are hilarious. You sound like 19th century phrenologists trying to prove that the light skinned people are somehow “not white.” Why does it matter so much if you don’t “see race?”
libfreeordie on April 18, 2013 at 5:35 PM

I dunno, these guys seem awfully young to be crazy right-wing nutters. They also seem too young to be considerably indoctrinated with some religious Islamic fundamentalism, or even OWS.

You’re operating under the delusion that conservatism has no racial politics? Stunning. Also, y’all are hilarious. You sound like 19th century phrenologists trying to prove that the light skinned people are somehow “not white.” Why does it matter so much if you don’t “see race?”

libfreeordie on April 18, 2013 at 5:35 PM

Says the stool from the DEMOCRAT party of the KKK, filibuster of the 1964 civil rights act, the fight to keep the south segregated, but never loses an opportunity to call conservatives racist.
Go blow your racist brother gummy&pokey.

Good pics. People know these guys. How long can it be before someone fingers them?

novaculus on April 18, 2013 at 5:29 PM

Not long because people will be scanning their marathon photographs and videos to see if they accidentally included similar looking people. I think it likely that within a day or so the FBI will have some better photographs to release, assuming they don’t get an actual identification.

You’re operating under the delusion that conservatism has no racial politics? Stunning. Also, y’all are hilarious. You sound like 19th century phrenologists trying to prove that the light skinned people are somehow “not white.” Why does it matter so much if you don’t “see race?”

libfreeordie on April 18, 2013 at 5:35 PM

Awesome circular argument, libfree:

Everything is racial. Conservative politics are a thing. Therefore, conservative politics are racial.

This coming from the guy who posted in the Fertilizer Bombing thread condemning someone for politicizing a tragedy, then going on to make about 6 different posts about how it wouldn’t have happened if there were “better regulations” in “business-friendly Texas.”

Says the stool from the DEMOCRAT party of the KKK, filibuster of the 1964 civil rights act, the fight to keep the south segregated, but never loses an opportunity to call conservatives racist.
Go blow your racist brother gummy&pokey.

RovesChins on April 18, 2013 at 5:39 PM

As everyone here knows I think the Democrats are fundamentally racist as well. But if it makes you feel better to talk about the heirs of the Confederacy, who were supported by the forefathers of nearly all southern white conservatives (or did the Democrats who voted for Jim Crow politicians simply all decide not to have children), then so be it. Voting for Obama in a two party presidential election doesn’t make me responsible for Jim Crow Democrats. And if it does, then I’d suggest there’s quite a few southern whites who owe quite a bit more to black people. If you want to go there.

Of course none of that is germane to the issue at hand, which is conservatives blind-crazy obsession with these suspects being “not white.”

But that doesn’t advance the progressive narrative, so naturally the Left and its media tools first reaction to terror attacks is to look for the connection to right wing or religious extremists. (But not Islamist religious extremists.) And keep looking until they find one, no matter how tenuous. If they can’t find one, they manufacture one.

Whether these men are Middle Eastern Islamists or not, there’s no question that they are not “dark skinned men.” We will never hear an apology from CNN and other media outlets for promulgating racial animus based upon absolutely zero evidence.

They have had almost four days to get out of the country.
If they cross into Mexico, that’s an automatic two year prison sentence.
Mexico is very strict about their immigration and protecting their border.

I know the media and the wacko left (one in the same I know), are hoping beyond hope that these perps are angry white conservatives.

But the FACT of the matter, is that Conservatives DON’T do these kinds of things.

But if you want to paint with broad brushes, take a look at the mass killings and attempts to assassinate the President. Muslim jihadists set off bombs in crowds of people and look to maim and kill as many innocent people as they can. LEFTwing extremists make assassination attempts on Presidents. And if you look at the politics of mass shooting perps, those are also LEFTwingers.

If the left wants to throw around political generalizations, by all means let’s do that.

I’ll agree with others that these two seem awful young to be McVeigh-type political extremists. Seems more likely to be a “notice me!!” type of crime, to inflate their own flagging sense of self-importance.

When you feel like an impotent teenager with no power, I guess it seems attractive to seize some type of “control” by terrorizing the populace.

Of course none of that is germane to the issue at hand, which is conservatives blind-crazy obsession with these suspects being “not white.”

libfreeordie on April 18, 2013 at 5:46 PM

I still don’t see what the big deal is with racism? Hatred is a natural emotion…why are you anti-nature. I am sure plenty of non-white people like yourself hat me simply because I am white. I just can’t seem to care.

Whether these men are Middle Eastern Islamists or not, there’s no question that they are not “dark skinned men.” We will never hear an apology from CNN and other media outlets for promulgating racial animus based upon absolutely zero evidence.

libfreeordie on April 18, 2013 at 5:49 PM

Tell me you are NOT serious. They are definitely dark skinned. Not as in black. But definitely tan.

You’re operating under the delusion that conservatism has no racial politics? Stunning. Also, y’all are hilarious. You sound like 19th century phrenologists trying to prove that the light skinned people are somehow “not white.”

Says the stool from the DEMOCRAT party of the KKK, filibuster of the 1964 civil rights act, the fight to keep the south segregated, but never loses an opportunity to call conservatives racist.
Go blow your racist brother gummy&pokey.

RovesChins on April 18, 2013 at 5:39 PM

As everyone here knows I think the Democrats are fundamentally racist as well. But if it makes you feel better to talk about the heirs of the Confederacy, who were supported by the forefathers of nearly all southern white conservatives (or did the Democrats who voted for Jim Crow politicians simply all decide not to have children), then so be it. Voting for Obama in a two party presidential election doesn’t make me responsible for Jim Crow Democrats. And if it does, then I’d suggest there’s quite a few southern whites who owe quite a bit more to black people. If you want to go there.

Of course none of that is germane to the issue at hand, which is conservatives blind-crazy obsession with these suspects being “not white.”

libfreeordie on April 18, 2013 at 5:46 PM

Hmmm, as you stated, CNN has been the one’s doing just that, not exactly a bastion of conservative thought, but keep f#cking that chicken, Robert Byrd.

Who cares what race he is? Why the obsession with him being white or non-white? It’s utterly ridiculous. Some of you should grow up.

YYZ on April 18, 2013 at 5:29 PM

The obsession is over one ‘side’ ‘winning or losing’…based purely on that detail.
For many, it’s a single prism view. If they can’t tie it to some partisan/ideological rant, than it doesn’t hold much interest at all for them.
Good to know there are pros in charge of this stuff.
I hope their work here bring additional results soon.